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Rudolph woke up with a grunt. He slowly shambled to his feet and stretch, groaning as his bones popped back into place and his muscles ached. "Too early fer yer jibber jabber laddie." The dwarf yawned, scratching his chest under his beard. "Tis time to head back ta town. Now help me wrap these babies up while the changeling puts down the door." He wrapped the blades in oil-stained clothes to preserve them, bundling them together. The dwarf had forged long into the night, using every last dreg of iron and silver to create swords, spearheads, hammer heads, ax heads, and arrowheads and bullets. The weapons would be finished in town, where he could properly grip and bind them all.

I am prepared to meet my maker.
Whether or not he's prepared to meet me....
well that's another matter, isn't it?

"A little..." She answered Sir Dreimon. "...But her suspicions aren't unfounded, as much as I wish they were... When you do receive the reports, Sir, I'd like to have a look if that won't be of an issue... Also, I'll be at your disposition throughout the night, I can take the watch. But for now, if you excuse me..." Aurea nodded, and walked away somewhere, taking one of the sheets, plenty laying around.

When the knight came back few minutes later, her equipment was relatively clean, although remaining spots here and there as well as where the plates overleapt each other, indicated she didn't even take the armor off. Also, her cloak again covered most of it. Noticing Lera, she had approached her and knelt next to her, busying herself with bandaging a patient beside her. Not as fast and deftly as the girl, but professionally nonetheless. She remained quiet for a while, before finally speaking up. "You're doing a good job, saving a lot of lives. Here and even back at the gates...It was foolish of you, yes...but brave. And I can appreciate that, and so can they." She swept the wounded laying around with her gaze to indicate who she meant.

"Those who survive at least..." That part remained unsaid, but still bothered her.

"Don't let yourself be told otherwise..." She jerked her fist up, tightening the dressing, groan of the soldier below most likely indicating she did it a little too rough. "I'm also...sorry about your injury..." She added quietly, only her voice and face showing how much such simple apology has costed her, and her pride. She knew she should've said something more, but found herself incapable of doing so. Instead she went silent for few more minutes, before changing topic. "You own a shop here, right?" Again, it didn't seem as if she was comfortable with what she was about to say, some of her usual confidence missing. "May I...ask you for a favor...?

Aurea stood at the gates whole night, hardly moving around. When she wasn't on the way, the night seemed to drag on for even longer. She knew it wasn't natural at all. People need sleep, but she definitely considered it somewhat useful, and a good riddance. When the sun had finally raised over the forested horizon, she found herself facing it with eyes closed, savoring the moment. Feeling of warmth was a rather rare sensation for her recently, yet every time she felt it, she realized how much desired it was at it. The knight wasn't even sure how much time had she spent like that, leaning her hands on the sword in front of her, before the city began to wake up from its slumber, and some guard has came to replace her in duty.

The woman has made her way to the towns hall, picking up her bundle from the nearby post on the way. She had once more pulled out a notebook out of it, reading it briefly, and writing down some more few things. When she put it back away and raised her head, she was already by the hall, observing the mayor walk in. She had entered right after him.

"Good to know they're not dead...just slow." Aurea exclaimed walking across the room, hearing the news, and neatly placed her belongings on the windowsill. "Good morning." She then added, as if suddenly remembering the proper order of things. Listening to Lera's idea, she spoke up her mind. "Outskirts of the city is too big of an area to effectively cover, we would need to lure them to one location, and since they apparently do not fall for the same trap twice...have them affected all at once. And there's more complication to that, I am sure." The knight too, looked towards Rhea, knowing she'd explain it better...or prove her wrong.

I should probably try and find something interesting to put in here...

Rhea shrugged, "poison could work, but I doubt it would be as effective as you're hoping it would be. Is it even our concern? This isn't the task we were all brought here for, and once the rest of our party arrives I suggest we get started. Assuming they're still alive from sending that message and make it here, the town should be more than capable of handling itself with the resources our party is bringing them."

She sat up and crossed her legs, "My time is rather valuable to me, and it should be to you all as well. If the mayor and Sir Dreimon want us to stay another night to see what happens, then that is something they need to pay us for." Rhea sighed at Aurea's remark, "Killing the alpha would be a good start. It might not be a permanent solution, but isn't that why we were called in the first place? To go see what happened that caused this stirring?" She turned and looked at Sir Dreimon, "I'll tell you what. You give me a big bag of gold and I'll kill that boar."

SPAC: Genesis
"Everything I've done up until now... it was all for nothing."

Aurea frowned at Rhea's response. Money...of course. "This town barely makes it's ends meet as it is right now. Caravans don't make it in or out, how much can they pay you, you think?" It seemed as if she started preaching again, but then. "If we were to get rid of the problem permanently, or mellowed it down to manageable point however...I bet they could pay you solemnly for your additional services, once they're able to pick themselves up. Long term, you could say." The knight crossed her arms and looked at the ranger, getting the message through just with her stare alone. If Rhea and the rest won't do it, she will. "In the end, you'd earn more, for not doing all that much more work, when you think about it. What is it few more bodies for you? Would that sound fair?" Her knowing glance swept across the room from mayor and Sir Dreimon, to the rest of the party.

I should probably try and find something interesting to put in here...

"What's the point of killing a few of them when they could just come back the next night with their numbers completely replenished? If they don't have gold to spare, I'm sure they can think of something to take it's place that would be worth my time and effort. I've got people back home who are suffering every day that I am gone, who can't fend for themselves and are hoping that I'm not coming back empty handed. Every day that I'm not there it's only going to get worse, so if I'm left to pick between these people and my people, it's going to be a very cold night. You can't save everyone, Aurea."

SPAC: Genesis
"Everything I've done up until now... it was all for nothing."

"This 'team' of adventurers are nothing short of a ragtag bunch of individuals in it for various reasons. It's unreasonable to assume any amount of goodness required of us," She glanced away, dejected, "We really can't expect goodness within ourselves."

"Even so! I believe in the possibility of treasures or secrets concealed within this lycanthrope infection. If someone were behind this, which seemed highly likely based on their coordination, we could indirectly progress our quest. A problem like that ought to be connected to the request to visit the city of Highmount. Plus, frontloading our monster slaying would ease up the rest of our journey, don't you think? No more werewolves, or other things." Lera fiddled with her ears.

"I can't. But I can try to save as many as possible and base my judgment on what I can see." Aurea shrugged. "Tell them your price, if they in fact can't cover it, I volunteer to help instead. No payment required." She tried to do it the easy way, benefiting all sides. "Fortunately, I don't have to choose here."

Last edited by MrSkully; 12-05-2017 at 10:18 PM.

I should probably try and find something interesting to put in here...

Once everyone was awake and had eaten, Visage moved to the stairwell and cast Shape Stone, clearing the entryway. He kept himself at the ready to fight any attackers. He turned back over his shoulder to call the others.

"I say it's time for us to move out. I made sleds last night to carry everything...lets see how they fared..."

He did not, however, make a motion to go upstairs until the others were moving with him.

"Poison?" Sir Dreimon shook his head. "Lera, the amount of poison we would need would be far too great for a reasonable use." The knight captain then looked at Rhea as she delivered her concern only for him to grunt but before he could speak, he noticed the mayor's move to silence him. He was about to protest either way but decided not to.

Mayor Roderique nodded. "It is true that your duty was never to Thornfell and we were simply lucky that you were here to assist when it was sorely needed," he said solemnly to Rhea then to Aurea. "And I will not promise funds I cannot be sure that I will have in the future. That is simply my way. So I wish you luck on your journey to Highmount. You never owed anything to Thornfell to begin with and in fact we owe you now."

Sir Dreimon stepped in. "Then my men and I will stay. My duty was simply to escort these men and women to Thornfell nothing more but it extends to protecting the people of the Empire."

The mayor didn't speak to counter or to say thanks but remained still as he waited the reply of the rest of the party.

[Church of Petrania]

"It is never to early to preach the glory of Soramaru, guide of the night and shining glory of life," the disciple proclaimed as he moved to Rudolph to assist him with the packing.

Mari groaned upon hearing more of the religion crap but proceeded to aid in the packing, the monk did as well.

Esther was still, coaxing the little girl to wake. "Wake up, little one. It is day, the lycanthrope will be asleep or away, so it is safe." The girl stirred and moved a bit, rubbing her eyes. She remained quiet however as Visage handed out the food.

After the short meal, everyone was ready to move and Visage opened the door. The druid's magic worked its way through the stone and slid it open. Cautiously, despite the sun's rays piercing through the cracked rooftop of the church, they departed for the front door. The disciple, monk and Mari moved alongside Rudolph, each carried their own load of silvered weapons. Something stirred outside however, the sound of music.

"Wot in da?" Rudolph dropped the weapons onto the sleigh as he turned to focus on the sound. "Music? is some ninny tryin to be funny or he just daft?" The dwarf made his way out the church grumbling. "Fool's gonna lead the who knows what here playin dat noise. Wait till Oy get m'hands on dat instrument, Oy'll snap that thin in twain, teach this idjit a lesson." The dwarf continued to mutter angrily as he followed the music.

I am prepared to meet my maker.
Whether or not he's prepared to meet me....
well that's another matter, isn't it?